Ready
by clair beaubien
Summary: Jack and Daniel discuss Vala.


"So, what's up with you and Vala?" I waited to ask the question until we were sitting down over the usual bland Air Force commissary lunch.

"Up? What?" The question clearly startled Daniel. I figured it would. His spoonful of soup hung suspended halfway to his mouth and I wondered if I could get him to drop it. "Wh – uh. Nothing. There's nothing up. Why? Who – what – did someone say - what? – that something was up? What? No. Nothing's up. Why – what – who – who said anything about me and Vala?"

I hadn't heard that much stammering in years. And considering this was Daniel, that's really saying something.

"Oh, Mitchell, Landry, Walter, Siler, Dr. Lee, Dr. Lam, Teal'c."

"Teal'c? What did Teal'c say?"

I only smiled.

"As soon as I can be separated from her without the risk of dying, she is off the planet." Daniel asserted, finally eating his spoonful of soup.

"Right."

"_Yes_ right."

I shrugged and picked up my sandwich. Me thinks the archeologist does protest too much.

"If you say so."

It only took a few minutes. I knew it was coming. Daniel had to ask,

"Do you _think_ there's something between us?"

Really, it couldn't be more obvious if it was the tattoo on Teal'c's forehead.

"From everything I've heard, she's got the hots for you, Daniel. And frankly, you've had worse relationships in your life."

Daniel only blinked and stared down at his food. I forget sometimes that for all his stubborn stoicism and bounce-back ability, Daniel is easily hurt. I expected him to fold him arms around himself in self-protection but he didn't.

"I'm sorry, Daniel."

"No, it's all right."

"No, it's _not_ all right, it was thoughtless. I'm sorry."

"Thanks." He gave me the half smile and started eating again.

"So when's the big day?"

"_Jaack_."

"Hey, I'm only saying that not only don't you have to worry about explaining the Gate and all its implications to her, I've heard she's the only person who can go toe to toe with you in verbal warfare. You aren't going to find that just anywhere."

"Arguing? You think I like arguing?"

Daniel wasn't joking. He seriously thought he wasn't an argumentative person. I smiled again, thinking back to all the arguments we've had over the course of our friendship.

"I hear she's a real looker, too."

"Oh, Jack – please. For all the people and planets and places we've been to, you don't really still equate looks with the worth of the person do you? I mean the goauld for instance – they placed a critically high value on appearance and all it was to them literally was a shell while the Nox certainly are not the most attractive people by earth standards and yet their whole societal structure was -."

He must've finally noticed the amused look on my face because he abruptly stopped his rapid fire discourse.

"No arguing, hunh?" I had to ask.

He gave me a look that reminded me that for all the vulnerability I was worrying about just a second ago, Dr. Daniel '_Peaceful Explorer'_ Jackson knows how to get even.

"I'm telling you, Jack, I can't wait to be free of her so my life can go back to normal."

"Oh, have you got it bad." I said and he did drop his spoon then. Threw it down actually.

"I – _Jack_ – do not – _how could you_ – have a – _think_ – nor shall I ever – _that I_ – have a thing for her?"

Yes boys and girls, Daniel had just spoken two sentences at the same time.

"Drives you crazy, does she?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Can't get any work done when she's around."

"None."

"Can hardly think straight when you're in the same room together."

"That's right."

I waited for some spark of recognition but none came. For crying out loud, I know the man dated in college but it must've been a very cool affair if he wasn't recognizing the signs.

"Doesn't any of this ring a bell, Daniel?"

I could see him processing the information. Like the hum on my hard drive that tells me my computer is working, there's a certain look in Daniel's eyes that tells me the motor is running.

"It wasn't like that with Shaare." He said finally. His voice was quiet and he picked up his spoon again. "She made me whole, she – she filled up the emptiness." His voice changed, back to aggravation. "She didn't make me want to pound my head on my desk in frustration."

"Well you didn't _have_ a desk on Abydos, did you?" I asked, innocently. That earned me the 'will get even' look again. I thought I'd better have the mechanic give a _really_ good look to the plane before I let Mitchell take it for a spin with me in backseat. I decided to try another tack.

"I know how special Shaare was, Daniel. She was as important to defeating Ra as any one of us was. She defied Kasouf and rallied the troops. And she loved you so much it took _my_ breath away. All I'm saying is that loving somebody now doesn't mean you loved her any less then."

Not looking up from his soup, Daniel said,

"Could we talk about something else?"

Eight years his wife has been dead and it's still a gaping wound.

"Sure." I said, and in an overly bright voice asked, "Found any interesting artifacts lately?"

He smiled, though there was still sadness in his eyes, and proceeded to fill me in

on some broken tablet from some demolished temple on some desolate planet. Not as interesting as a discussion on fishing flies, but it wasn't the conversation so much as the person I was conversing with that mattered. So I paid attention.

After lunch, after Daniel was satisfied that I had at least a rudimentary understanding of the significance of a piece of clay tablet no bigger than my thumb, he walked me to the elevators. I was headed topside and he was going back to his office.

As we waited, the woman herself sauntered into our hallway. Vala. She smiled a wicked smile when she saw Daniel and walked close enough to rest her elbow on his shoulder, which he pointedly moved away from. She was dressed in something that was a cross between Elvira Mistress of the Dark and a Hell's Angel's biker chick. I can't think of a single other man who would pull away from _that_.

"You know, I have promised myself to be _completely_ faithful to Daniel while I'm on this planet," she addressed me and added with a broad wink, "but for you I'd make an exception."

"Would you _please_…" Daniel made an attempt to push her away which had little effect on her at all.

"He's _so_ jealous." She said in a stage whisper as she moved past me, and tossed back to Daniel, "_See you later darling_."

I watched her walk away and when I turned back, Daniel was still watching her.

Aside from the fact that she seemed like a basically nice person - if you leave out the con artist personality, intergalactic theft, and a mind in the gutter - Vala was the first person to have dragged Daniel out of his shell since he lost Shaare. He needed someone like that.

"Don't drive her away." I told Daniel.

"I couldn't drive her away with a bulldozer."

He kept staring after her though, as she flirted her way down the corridor, until she turned a corner. When she was gone, he turned back to me.

"I'm not ready."

"It's been a long time Daniel."

_"Not long enough."_

"Yeah, I know that feeling." The elevator opened and I lightly slapped Daniel on the arm before I got in. "No flying off to other galaxies without clearing it through me first, you got that?"

"Yes Jack."

"And that goes for those -." I made a vague gesture because I'm not sure the thing even has a name. " – those blue glowy communication body swapping things too."

_"Yes, Jack."_ The ever-suffering child patiently humoring his ever-nagging elder.

I got into the elevator and reached out to punch my floor.

"I'm sorry you missed the Daedalus." I lied to him. He smiled.

"Thanks Jack."

Just as the elevator doors closed, I got in my parting shot:

_"Send me an invitation to the wedding…" _

The end.


End file.
